


Four Times Nico Was Alone on Christmas and One Time He Wasn't

by buoyantsaturn



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: 4+1 Things because I couldn't make it 5, Christmas, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 07:36:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13119105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buoyantsaturn/pseuds/buoyantsaturn
Summary: The first Christmas Nico could remember was when he was ten.





	Four Times Nico Was Alone on Christmas and One Time He Wasn't

**Author's Note:**

> it's really short but i wanted to write something about nico's past christmases even if this doesnt cover them too extensively   
> i wrote this in like half an hour and hadn't planned on writing it at all until i started but,, here it is enjoy!!!

_ I _

 

The first Christmas Nico could remember was when he was ten. 

He’d just found out that Bianca had died, and he’d run away from the only place that would take him in. He’d found himself freezing on the streets of the biggest city he’d ever seen, until a woman who looked like she’d been living on the street led him to a shelter where he was given a thick coat and a warm meal. 

He hadn’t wanted to overstay his welcome, and the thought of sleeping in a room with all those strangers made him uncomfortable, so he left in the middle of the night.

He prayed to his father for guidance, though after a few more days, he figured he must not have done it right.

 

_II_

 

When he was eleven, Nico had been led astray by Minos, but he’d finally met his father. 

Hades gave him a place in the Underworld and always made sure that Nico had enough money to keep himself clothed and fed. He spent a lot of his time in the Underworld, learning how to fight and control his powers without Minos critiquing his every move.

Christmas had passed without him knowing. A few months later, he found his sister.

 

_III_

 

Percy had gone missing, so when Nico was twelve he spent his Christmas searching. 

He’d taken Mrs. O’Leary, so for once he wasn’t truly traveling alone. He split his time between visiting Hazel in New Rome and continuing the search for his missing cousin. For the first time in years, he’d had family to celebrate Christmas with, but he’d run off into the woods and forgotten about the holiday altogether.

It was supposedly the most wonderful time of the year, but Nico didn’t have much to be happy about, with the world once again so close to collapse.

 

_ IV _

 

At thirteen, Nico couldn’t ever remember a Christmas he’d enjoyed. 

He’d promised to stick around at camp for the rest of the summer, but the adjustment was harder to make than he’d expected. Instead he’d traveled back and forth from camp and the Underworld, unable to make himself be around people for too long. 

He’d found himself caught up in an errand he was running for his father, and when he returned to camp just in time for New Year’s, there was a gift waiting for him in his cabin. It was the only sign of the holiday he’d missed, the first where he hadn’t needed to be alone, but he’d managed to ruin it for himself. 

The gift was from Will.

 

_+I_

 

Nico woke up to a knock on his cabin’s door sometime in December when he was fourteen. He groaned, loud enough that whoever was outside should have been able to hear his warning, but the door opened anyway.

Nico cracked an eye open just as Will laid down on his bed. “What’s on your head?”

“It’s a Santa hat,” Will replied with a pout.

“Why?”

“Because it’s Christmas,” Will told him. “You do know what Christmas is, don’t you?”

Nico rolled his eyes. “Of course I do, it’s just, uh. It’s been a while since I’ve, well, had a Christmas.”

“How long is a while?” 

Nico hesitated. “Since I lived in Italy, maybe? So, ten years?”

Will sat up abruptly, dragging Nico out from under the covers with him. “Ten  _ years? _ Nico, that’s crazy! C’mon, you’re gonna have the best Christmas ever. And it starts with this.” Will leaned toward the edge of the bed and pulled something off the ground - a perfectly wrapped gift, which he set on Nico’s lap.

“I didn’t get you anything,” Nico said.

“Promise to spend the day with me and that’s all the gift I need,” Will told him, and kissed the tip of Nico’s nose.

Nico leaned forward and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, nearly crushing the present between them. “This is already the best Christmas I’ve ever had.”

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!! merry christmas!!


End file.
